President John Dramani Mahama has directed the Minister of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation, Sam George, to liaise with the National Communications Authority (NCA) to immediately restore the broadcast licence of 64 radio stations affected by the regulator’s action.
He said regulatory compliance must take into account the need to uphold and enhance media freedom, and asking radio stations to shut down while awaiting the regularisation of their authorisation could limit the space for expressing such freedoms.
President Mahama made the directive in a statement issued by the National Communications Authority (NCA) and copied to The Ghanaian Times in Accra yesterday.
Pleading for clemency for the affected radio stations, President Mahama said the Ministry of Communications, Digital Technology and NCA should work to ensure the affected radio stations complied with the licensing and operational requirements in the broadcasting sector.
He tasked the Minister of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation to work with the NCA on a reasonable timeframe within which the affected stations should regularise their authorisation.
The directive for the radio stations to suspend operations, followed an order by the Ministry of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation to NCA to enforce applicable sanctions on stations whose licenses have not been regularised.
It comes on the back of a recent audit conducted by the NCA which found the affected radio stations’ licenses have been expired and not renewed.
Following the directive, the NCA commenced enforcement of regulatory sanctions against defaulting entities identified in the Frequency Audit Report in phases.
The NCA directed the non-compliant FM Broadcasting Stations to immediately suspend operations on their respective frequencies for various infractions.
According to the NCA, the enforcement action had become necessary due to persistent violations of regulatory requirements, specifically Regulations 54 and 56 of the Electronic Communications Regulations, 2011 (L.I. 1991) and the Conditions of their FM Broadcasting Authorisations
BY TIMES REPORTER
